Aims of the study: Few studies have measured drug-related problems (DRP) amongst cancer patients. High frequency of DRP among patients admitted at general medicine wards may be descriptive of the situation for oncology ward inpatients The aim of this study was to measure the number and categories of DRP identified by the clinical pharmacist contributing in a clinical interdisciplinary team at an oncology ward. In addition, to identify whether measures proposed by the pharmacist to minimize risk of DRP, effected the drug treatment of patients included in this study.

Methods: Drug treatment was examined in a systematic manner by adopting parts of a method for clinical pharmacy. Part I: A reconciliation of medication, where the information from the medication chart in the hospital was compared and made coherent with other sources of drug information, including patient's own remarks about medicines, as stated in an interview. Part II: A medication review at the start and during the adjustments of the drug treatment. The proposed DRP solving measures were discussed with physicians and nurses at the oncology ward and outcomes of discussions on patient’s treatment were documented. The DRP and changes of the drug treatment were later analyzed.

Results: One hundred DRPs were identified through the drug treatment examination of 48 patients in this study. Patients with at least one DRP accounted for 77 % of all enrolled patients. Drugs that affected the nervous system were frequently involved in DRP. DRP identified by the medicine reconciliation comprised 41 % while the DRP identified in medication reviews made up 59 % of all DRPs. Drug treatment was changed as a result of intervention of the clinical pharmacist in 75 % of the cases.

Conclusion: This study showed that interventions in order to reduce the risk of DRP, proposed by the clinical pharmacist, were frequently implemented by the physicians into patient's drug treatment. Recognizing the risk factors, the frequency and the characteristics of DRP occurrences is important in the prevention of DRP and thus improvement of patients’ drug treatment. The results of this study suggest that the involvement of a clinical pharmacist with the expertise in the drug treatment at an oncology ward, can potentially improve the overall quality of the drug treatment amongst cancer patients.